June
19, 2003

The Yellow Springs
Board of Education tabled last week a vote on upcoming levies after board
members said they wanted to give the public more time to comment.

Although scheduled
to vote on the placement of two levy renewals on the November ballot at
their meeting June 12, board members followed the suggestion of president
Tom Haugsby and tabled the first of two votes on the levies until the
July 10 meeting.

Haugsby suggested
the change in response to concerns that the board’s work session
on the levies, held at Haugsby’s home on May 29, may have discouraged
public input because it was held in a private residence. Haugsby cited
concerns raised by board member Bill Firestone, who could not attend the
work session, in a column that was published in last week’s Yellow
Springs News and a News editorial in the same issue.

“The board
wants and the public has the right to expect that board business is done
in decorum and in public,” said Haugsby, who suggested the board
focus its regular June 26 meeting on the levies, and seek more public
input.

“We should
do this to make abundantly clear” that the board seeks public participation,
Haugsby said. “This will be a meeting for questions and for considering
alternatives.”

Last month, Superintendent
Tony Armocida proposed that the school board place on the November ballot
a renewal of the permanent improvement levy, which funds technology and
buses and which expires the end of this year, and a renewal of the current
emergency levy, which expires the end of 2004.

In light of the new
school income tax, which voters approved in 2001, Armocida recommended
that both levies’ millage be reduced, so that property would be
taxed at a lower rate than it is currently. He recommended that the permanent
improvement levy, now 1.3 effective millage, be reduced to 0.6 mills.
The levy would provide schools with about $64,200 a year for technology
and bus needs.

Armocida recommended
that the emergency levy, with a current millage of 10.1 mills, be reduced
to 9.9 mills, or a reduction of $21,400 a year.

At its May 29 work
session, board members questioned whether the reduced levy amounts were
adequate to fund school needs and whether both levies should be placed
on the ballot in the same year.

The board also agreed
last week to hold a special meeting on Monday, June 23, 6:30 p.m., to
discuss how board members communicate.

“To be effective,
we need to communicate with each other and trust one another,” said
board member Mary Campbell-Zopf. “I see this board as a high-achieving
collegial group of individuals, but I feel we’ve stumbled somehow.”

Several board members
expressed a need to discuss how they communicate, especially in light
of the column Firestone submitted to the News about his concerns on the
tax levies, which he had not discussed with other board members before
publicizing his concerns.

“Bill’s
letter indicates that there’s a problem,” said Haugsby, who
suggested holding the meeting. “We need to look at how the board
works together.”

*
* *

In other school board
business:

• The board
approved a first reading of a new inter-district open enrollment policy.
The new policy allows Yellow Springs schools to accept students from any
Ohio school district. The current policy allows the district to accept
students from continguous districts.

In previous meetings,
board members discussed expanding the open enrollment program as a way
bring more income to the schools.

• Board members
approved a revision of the McKinney/YSHS student handbook, which a committee
of students and teachers revised. The group made only small revisions
to last year’s handbook, said McKinney School teacher Janet Miller.

“Working on
the handbook becomes easier every year,” said YSHS Principal John
Gudgel. “There are a lot of commonalities between what the students
want and what the teachers want.”

• The board
approved step advancements for Mills Lawn aide David Johnston and Craig
Conrad, the school district director of maintenance, both of whom recently
completed additional training.

• The board
approved a district position for a special education supervisor for the
2003–04 school year.